Eurasia

TIRANA, Albania The government announced on Sunday (April 26th) it will submit the country’s application for EU candidate status on Tuesday. Prime Minister Sali Berisha will deliver the application to the Czech EU presidency in Prague.

PRISTINA, Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu on Sunday (April 26th) appealed to Kosovo Serbs to return to their homes and to contribute to the overall development of society. “They [Serbs] will have the support of both Kosovo and international institutions.

PODGORICA, Montenegro The country has achieved “quite impressive” results on its road to EU membership, Leopold Maurer, the head of the European Commission delegation to Podgorica, said on Sunday (April 26th). He added that while progress in the visa liberalisation process is obvious, more remains to be done.

ATHENS, Greece The justice ministry tabled a draft law in parliament Friday (April 24th) imposing stricter sanctions on demonstrators wearing hoods or masks. The new measure is part of government efforts to fight a recent wave of street violence that has plagued the country since December 2008, when a police …

NICOSIA, Cyprus Hundreds of Greek Cypriots gathered in Nicosia’s central Eleftheria Square on Saturday (April 25th) to protest the recent acquittals of ten police officers accused of brutally beating two students in December 2005. The citizen movement Alert, which vowed to continue protesting until authorities punish the officers, organised the …

GROZNY About 90 Chechens living in Georgia have requested refugee status since January to allow them to return to Chechnya, the head of the Russian republic’s migration department said Tuesday. “Our department has received about 90 applications from Georgian residents requesting visas and other documentation to return to Russia. These …

BUCHAREST All measures suggested by the health ministry have been taken to prevent a possible outbreak of swine flu in Romania, Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Dan Nica said on Monday after a meeting of the National Emergency Committee. He told prefects at a videoconference that the institutions with …

MOSCOW Russian President Dmitry Medvedev held a meeting here on Tuesday, devoted to the promotion of international cooperation in energy, including cooperation in the gas sector. It was held in the context of Russia’s latest proposals to its partners in G-8, G-20, the CIS and EC. The president reported on …

MOSCOW Bulgaria’s Head of Government Sergei Stanishev is to meet with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev here on Tuesday and is to hold talks with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. The implementation of strategic joint energy projects will be the main subject of discussion at the upcoming talks. The Kremlin press service …

American Vice President Joe Biden, will begin a diplomatic tour throughout the Balkans, to kick-off in May, media sources reported today. According to Kosovo’s public station Radio Television Kosovo, Biden will begin his visit in Pristina, scheduled sometime between May 17 -21. The Serbian daily, Blic, also reported a visit …